Saudi-Led Coalition Targets Houthi Commanders’ Meeting in Yemen’s Lahj as Fighting Intensifies on Multiple Fronts

Riyadh/Sanna (Terror Monitor) — An airstrike targeting a meeting of senior Houthi field commanders has been reported in Yemen's southern province of Lahj, as Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces intensify military operations against the Iran-aligned group across several battlefronts.

According to the London-based newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, the strike targeted a gathering of prominent Houthi field commanders in the Al-Maqatirah district of northern Lahj. Yemeni military sources said intelligence agencies had monitored the movements of the commanders and identified the location of their meeting before the operation was carried out.

The report said the operation was conducted amid escalating clashes between Houthi forces and troops loyal to Yemen's internationally recognised government.

The number of casualties and the identities of the commanders who may have been killed or wounded in the strike were not immediately known.

The reported attack comes as the Houthis attempt to advance towards strategic positions and supply routes connecting Lahj and neighbouring Taiz province, two areas of considerable military importance in southern Yemen.

According to military sources cited by Asharq Al-Awsat, government forces have recently intensified operations around Al-Maqatirah, Al-Mudharabah and Tur Al-Baha, where clashes and retaliatory attacks have been reported.

Government forces had previously announced the recapture of strategic positions on the Al-Mudharabah front following fierce fighting with Houthi forces.

Yemeni government forces launch new offensive

In a separate report published on Monday, Asharq Al-Awsat said Yemen's government-aligned Nation Shield Forces had launched a major offensive against Houthi positions and fortifications in the Al-Mudharabah and Ras Al-Arah districts of Lahj.

The newspaper reported that units from the Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Brigades of the First Division participated in the operation along the Al-Muhawalah front.

According to a statement issued by the forces, dozens of Houthi fighters were killed or wounded, while others abandoned their positions and withdrew from the area.

Government forces also announced that they had taken control of the Kahbub front near the strategically important Bab al-Mandab Strait.

Separately, Yemen's Fourth Military Region released footage of an attack on a Houthi military vehicle on the Al-Maqatirah front, claiming that the vehicle was carrying military supplies and equipment.

The fighting has also spread to Taiz, where government forces and local resistance groups have reported repelling Houthi attacks on several positions.

Coalition says missile launchers in Saada and Sanaa destroyed

The Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen's internationally recognised government has also announced the destruction of Houthi ballistic missile launchers in the northern provinces of Saada and Sanaa.

According to Asharq Al-Awsat and Saudi media reports, coalition spokesman Major General Turki Al-Maliki said two missile launchers in Saada had been used in attempted attacks on Riyadh.

Another launcher in Sanaa was reportedly used in an attempted missile attack targeting Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province.

The coalition said the launchers had been destroyed before they could be used for further attacks.

On Sunday, the Saudi-led coalition also reported intercepting missiles launched towards Riyadh and other parts of the kingdom.

Houthi missile attacks damage Aramco building in Riyadh

Meanwhile, tensions between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have intensified following a Houthi missile and drone campaign targeting Saudi territory.

Reuters reported on Monday that debris from an intercepted Houthi attack had damaged windows across several floors of an office building belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco in Riyadh's King Abdullah Financial District.

Saudi authorities said the damage was limited and that no casualties had been reported.

The Saudi Civil Defence authorities subsequently announced that the security alert in Riyadh had ended after a warning was issued on Monday.

The Houthis claimed responsibility for Sunday's attack, while Saudi authorities said their air defences had intercepted incoming missiles.

Reuters reported that hostilities between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-aligned group had resumed in July, ending the relative calm established by a United Nations-brokered truce in 2022.

Death toll from Sanaa airstrikes rises to 44

In another major development, Houthi-run media outlets reported that the death toll from Saudi-led coalition airstrikes in the Bani Hushaysh district, east of Sanaa, had increased to 44.

The Houthi-run Health Ministry said 40 other people had been wounded in the November 7 attacks, which reportedly struck residential buildings in the Al-Shariya area.

According to the ministry's spokesman, Anees al-Asbahi, the dead included 21 children and 10 women. Eight children and nine women were among those reported injured.

The authorities said rescue teams were continuing to search the affected area for missing people.

The Associated Press (AP) reported the updated death toll on Monday, citing Houthi health authorities, while Agence France-Presse (AFP) also reported the increase to 44 fatalities.

Reuters had initially reported that at least 33 people were killed and 39 wounded, citing Houthi-run health authorities. The news agency said it could not independently verify the casualty figures and that Saudi Arabia's Center for International Communication was investigating the reports.

The Saudi authorities have not independently confirmed the Houthi-reported death toll or the circumstances of the civilian casualties.

Yemen's military reports hundreds of operations

The latest developments come amid a broader escalation across Yemen, with military operations reported in Lahj, Taiz, Marib, Al-Jawf, Saada and other provinces.

According to Asharq Al-Awsat, Yemen's armed forces said they had carried out 992 operations under Operation Fajr Yemen, including 19 airstrikes, 29 drone missions and 944 artillery and missile attacks.

The military said preliminary figures indicated that 267 Houthi fighters and commanders had been killed, wounded or forced to withdraw, while 97 military vehicles and pieces of equipment had been destroyed or damaged.

The statement did not specify the exact period covered by all the operations.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree, meanwhile, claimed that areas under the group's control had been subjected to 91 airstrikes over the preceding 24 hours, targeting several provinces, including Saada, Taiz, Hajjah, Hodeidah, Al-Jawf and Lahj.

These figures and battlefield claims could not be independently verified.

The renewed confrontation has further undermined prospects for restoring the ceasefire that had largely halted fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis since 2022.

The latest escalation also threatens to worsen Yemen's already severe humanitarian crisis, as fighting increasingly affects populated areas, transportation routes and essential infrastructure.